Articles | Swim 4 LIfe

Why are showers so important?

Dakota Miller — Tue, 21 Jan 2020 01:23:14 +0000

Showers are necessary for the health and protection of our students and instructors. Chlorine is a very efficient sanitizer for bacteria and germs. However, the combination of chlorine and ammonia (in both urine and sweat) creates chloramines, which are more difficult to remove from the water. The result is when students open their eyes underwater, they burn, and when instructors are teaching in the water for 5-8 hours a day, they get a rash.

When we enforce the shower policy for everyone, we don’t have these problems.

Does your child’s hair smell like chlorine after you get home? Since there is more bacteria in hair than anywhere else on the body, chlorine adheres to it to remove the bacteria. Be sure to shower your child’s hair to remove bacteria, and the hair will absorb the clean shower water rather than the chlorine water; and the chlorine will not need to bind to the hair to remove its bacteria.

Thank you for helping us keep our pool so clean that health inspectors have told us that ours is the only public pool they would let their family swim in!

The post Why are showers so important? first appeared on Swim 4 LIfe.

Myths and Truths of Winter Swimming

Academy Swim — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 20:12:16 +0000

Myths and Truths of Winter Swimming

Date: Nov 07-2008

Over time, there have been wives tales about winter exposure that have left many parents confused and believing these myths. The following medical facts were given by Dr. Norm Payne, of Payne Pediatrics in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Myth #1: Swimming, cold and wind may cause ear infections.

Fact: Middle ear infections, common in small children, are caused by viruses or infectious colds. Typically, fluid from the Eustachian tubes in the ear, drain through the nose and throat. During illness, passages constrict, and the fluid builds up and becomes infected. Swimming causes swimmer’s ear, which is not a middle ear problem, and is more easily treated.

Myth #2: Parents think a clear, runny nose is not contagious.

Fact: A clear, runny nose does not necessarily indicate a lack of infection. On the other hand, a colored discharge does not necessarily mean infection. Other symptoms should be considered as well as the length of time the symptoms have been present. Allergies may last for a few days, while an upper-respiratory infection will usually last for ten days.

Myth #3: Sudden changes in temperature or getting caught in the rain will cause colds.

Fact: If one becomes ill after experiencing these weather conditions, Dr. Payne believes the illness and the weather are just coincidence. Viruses cause colds, not the weather. However, Payne does agree changes in weather conditions may cause allergies to flare up. Sneezing and runny noses lasting a few days are indications of an allergic reaction; colds last ten days.

The truth is, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children under 5 in the state of California, and it is 100% preventable. There are more pools in Southern California than any other state. If you don’t have one, your neighbor does. Enrolling children in a year round water safety and swimming program, and educating yourself in CPR are two essential skills that have life saving potential. Don’t wait for summer…Learn to Swim Now…for LIFE!

The post Myths and Truths of Winter Swimming first appeared on Swim 4 LIfe.

Drowning Prevention Checklist

Academy Swim — Fri, 22 Aug 2014 20:28:23 +0000

Drowning Prevention Checklist

Date: Apr 11-2006

Drowning Prevention Checklist

As we approach summer, it is important for parents to remember that drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children under the age of 5 in the state of California. Please take a moment to educate yourselves and your children, as drowning is 100% preventable.

Supervision

Never leave your child unsupervised in or near any body of water

Don’t allow barriers, such as fences or walls, to give you a false sense of security

Keep toys, tricycles and other children’s play things away from the pool or spa

Don’t consider your children to be “drown-proof” even if they are enrolled in swimming lessons. Swimming lessons will teach them skills and respect for the water

Do Not rely on “water wings” or inflatable devices to keep your child afloat

THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTION FOR SUPERVISION !!!

Barriers

Fencing, walls, latched doors, covers and alarms should always be utilized

Doors and windows leading to the pool area are kept closed and locked

Fence gates should have self-closing, self-latching mechanisms

Door, window and gate latches should be out of reach of children

Always drain standing (surface) water off of the pool or spa cover

Your pool or spa should always have well-maintained barriers or “layers of safety”

Emergency Procedures

Install a phone, or keep a cordless phone, in the pool or spa area

Know how to contact local emergency medical services

Post emergency phone numbers in an easy-to-see location

Child care-givers should always be familiar with emergency procedures

Learn and practice how to administer lifesaving techniques (CPR) to children

Remember:

There is no substitute for constant supervision

and eye contact when a child is in or near water.

For information on April Pool’s Day, a community child & parent water safety please contact Academy Swim Club at (661)702-8585

Fence the Pool, Shut the Gate! Teach Your Kids to Swim – It’s Great!

Supervise, (Watch your Mate), Learn How to Resusitate!

For more information on swim lessons & drowning prevention, please call Academy Swim Club at (661)702-8585

The post Drowning Prevention Checklist first appeared on Swim 4 LIfe.

Why Swim Year Round?

Academy Swim — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 20:19:57 +0000

Why Swim Year Round?

Date: Sep 07-2007

Water is a unique medium that offers opportunity for everyone: Newborns, toddlers, children, teens, adults and the elderly, including athletes, arthritic, and the injured. Swimming is the only sport one can do, literally, from first breath to last. It is a lifelong skill with benefits that cannot be replaced or duplicated by any other sport. It is a skill that saves lives, infant, child and adult.

Life Saving: Swimming is a skill that all Californians need. People swim at pool parties, beach outings, hot afternoons at a friend’s house. Children gain confidence and self-esteem by knowing how to swim well when they are with friends. Children also need to know their limits and what they can do to help when another swimmer is in trouble. Many drownings turn into double drownings because people generally do not know the best course of action when a swimmer is in trouble.

Exploratory: The newborn can locomote and explore in water before he is able to crawl or walk. Three dimensional movement is attained, free from the restrictions produced by gravity or untrained muscle groups. Even older children and adults are fascinated with the ability to move in all directions, similar to what astronauts must experience in space.

Curiosity & Safety: Everyone loves water and is drawn to it. Just look at real estate prices near water. Children are no exception. Drowning is the number one cause of accidental death for children under five in the state of California. Toddlers who learn how to swim are more respectful of the dangers of water, have learned water safety skills and are less likely to drown. Even if you don’t have a pool in your backyard, someone in your neighborhood does.

Physical Fitness: The benefits of water exercise are long standing. Resistance is a key factor in improving strength and cardiovascular fitness. Compared to exercise on land, the same level of fitness can be attained in up to ½ the time! Water can be from 4 to 44 times more resistant than air, depending on how hard you work. Even athletes train in water because the medium produces resistance for every muscle group and the athlete becomes stronger and more flexible for other sports. Water can also be a safer environment to exercise in because of virtually no impact, as gravity is reduced to 10% of that on land. A note to remember is that many people enjoy water exercise so much that they overdo it without even knowing it, as there is little pain associated with it, so take it easy when you begin your program.

Physical Therapy: A warm water pool is beneficial for many ailments including, but not limited to, arthritis, fibromyalgia, & injuries of all kinds. The reduction in gravity leads to less stress on injured areas and the warm water provides a soothing environment which relaxes muscle groups adding optimal conditions for therapy and healing.

Fun: Everyone loves water!

The post Why Swim Year Round? first appeared on Swim 4 LIfe.

Learn to Swim. . . for LIFE! Because We Don’t Learn by Accident

Academy Swim — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 20:20:44 +0000

Learn to Swim. . . for LIFE! Because We Don’t Learn by Accident

Date: Jun 22-2007

During a 5^th grade, end of year pool party, all the children were called inside to eat lunch and the lifeguard was sent home. After lunch was served, an adult chaperone noticed that one of the boys was missing. After checking the bathroom and calling for him, someone checked the pool to find him on the bottom. He did not survive.

During an outdoor social gathering by the pool, Jessica P. Looked down to find her son, motionless, at the bottom of the pool, less than 3 feet from her. She jumped in to pull him out and revived him while other party goers called 9-1-1. He survived, although traumatized by the event. “The most unnerving thing is that no one heard a sound! Drowning is so SILENT!”

While fishing off the end of a dock with their four children, Jerry and Jill turned around to find their 3-year-old son floating, face up and fully clothed, and patiently waiting for someone to help him out of the water. He had been taking swim lessons and had practiced this many times before this event transpired, so he just reacted the way he had been trained to do so.

If you have children, accidents happen. Children of all ages have the opportunity to be in and around water. Prepare your children, because you love them, because it is only a matter of seconds between an accident and a tragedy.

The previous stories are true, with names and some specifics altered to protect the privacy of those involved.

The post Learn to Swim. . . for LIFE! Because We Don’t Learn by Accident first appeared on Swim 4 LIfe.

ADD/ADHD & Swimming

Academy Swim — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:15:40 +0000

ADD/ADHD & Swimming

Date: Aug 25-2008

There has been lots of buzz lately around anything Michael Phelps. He has earned his place in American Sports History, and we haven’t even begun to see the ripple effect of his wins. With that said, his mother, Debbie, has been very forthwith about his struggle with ADHD and how swimming helped him. As a 25 year licensed psychotherapist who specializes in ADD/ADHD, and a 30 year swim school owner, I feel qualified to clarify.

First, a brief explanation of Attention Deficit (Hyperactive) Disorder: ADD/ADHD is so much more complicated than just the “active child” or “couch potato.” There are 12 different areas of symptoms for ADD, and each of these areas may be over active or under active. Someone with ADD may be over active in one symptom, while under active in two others, and have no symptoms in 9 areas. This leaves us with the equation 12!, (or 12 exponential,) which translates to over 479 million different combinations of ADD/ADHD symptoms. You can’t know a few people with ADD and then compare them with anyone else who thinks they have it to even begin making a diagnosis.

The fundamentals for a diagnosis of ADD/ADHD are that there is a problem with focus and/or attention that dramatically interferes with academic/occupational, social, or behavioral life. What isn’t included in the diagnosis is the potential for greatness that I have seen in most people I have come across who have ADD/ADHD. Too often, the diagnosis and treatment focus on identifying weaknesses, which a child has had pointed out to them for a lifetime, taking a toll on confidence and self-esteem. Debbie Phelps seems to have balanced this quite well by building Michael up for all of his wonderful traits. The hyperactive side of ADD includes an amazing enthusiasm, which, when channeled and supported properly, has potential for magnificence. Even ADD, without hyperactivity, has a quiet, unfailing determination that has accomplished feats which seem superhuman.

Of the 12 symptom areas of ADD/ADHD, swimming aids in:

Focal Maintenance – The inability to concentrate long enough, or even too long, is dictated by the amount of time spent in the water. With very few choices, concentration tends to last as long as the task at hand.

Arousal – alertness: have you ever splashed water on your face to wake up? Often, the hyperactivity of a child is an effort to keep the brain “awake.” Think of when you are driving and need to stay alert. You may roll down the window, turn up the radio, sing along, even bounce in your seat a little. In effect, you become temporarily hyperactive. This is how a hyperactive child lives each day. In water, there is no need. In fact, hydrostatic pressure and resistance in water slows the world down, and can be quite calming and soothing to someone who always has to be wound up to stay awake. There are also very few injuries in water that a “klutzy” kid would stumble into daily on land.

Mental activation – Underwater is a perfect forum for daydreaming and free association, which is what ADD children get in trouble for. Underwater, there are no complaints of the mind wandering off, leaving plenty of time for dreams and aspirations without reproach. Muscle memory takes care of the swim and flip turns, so that the heart can condition the athlete.

Processing Depth and Detail – With kinesthetic practice, more and more physical detail is required, starting with the “big picture” and then fine tuning the details. Usually, in life skills, there is too much clutter around to notice the details. In swimming, it can start with 1 detail at a time, until muscle memory gets it and adds it to the “big picture.”

Saliency Determination – The barrage of sounds and background noises that so often distract the student are not present in water. This sensory deprivation leads to better focus on the task at hand.

Satisfaction Control – The noticeable restlessness that craves excitement can be satisfied in competition and swim meets, which also breaks up the routine of workouts, including peaking and tapering.

Mental Effort – The difficulty in getting started with work, or finishing work that has been started, is ended when a coach in on deck holding the athlete accountable for the daily workout. With good coaching, very little goes undetected, and when the athlete slacks, the workout gets harder, reinforcing working hard to begin with next time.

Previewing – Impulsivity, and failure to look ahead and see possible consequences can be dooming and habitual. A good coach, again, holds the athlete accountable, but also dreams with the athlete and holds those goals vividly before the athlete as the reward for hard work.

Facilitation and Inhibition – Hyperactivity itself is calmed and soothed in the aquatic environment, and in a tough workout, there is little ability to say or do inappropriate things while underwater or while panting for breath in between sets. One learns to be silent, and actions speak louder than words.

Tempo Control – Timing is completely controlled by the coach. Swimming too fast leads to quick burnout and a painful workout, while swimming too slow earns extra pushups or being “lapped” by other swimmers. After months of daily swimming, the athlete learns the correct pace, and may apply this to other areas in life.

Self-Monitoring and Self-Righting – In a workout, it’s hard to lose track of what you are doing. All you have to do is look around and see what everyone else is doing. You also always have the goal of finishing the task at had so you can rest. This becomes the singular focus. Unlike the inability to read social cues and fix whatever you did or said, the cues come from your own body and there is some pain when you fail to correct behaviors.

Reinforceability – People who fail to learn from their mistakes, or those who do not respond to rewards are reinforced in the pool. As mentioned before, when a small change in the way an arm is propelled leads to an easier swim or a win in a competition, the reinforcement is so immediate that it is hard to ignore, and punishes the body when it is ignored. People with ADD are smart; often, very smart. But they are better aware of what is going on internally than they will ever be aware of what else is going on. We often try to reinforce or punish with all the other stuff going on and they miss it.

Exercise, itself, is an amazing detoxin. The increased blood flow through the muscles helps clear up toxins and acids that accumulate in the muscle, and the increased blood flow to the brain helps to keep the brain alert and stimulate thinking. Putting a workout between two, two-hour blocks of study can accomplish more than a full six-hour block of study alone.

So Michael Phelps has joined the ranks of other GREATS with ADD, including Walt Disney, Benjamin Franklin, and Winston Churchill, to name a very few, with the help and guidance of a devoted and wise mother and the talent and efforts of his coaches.

web design history .

The post ADD/ADHD & Swimming first appeared on Swim 4 LIfe.

Water’s Healing Abilities

Academy Swim — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 20:17:34 +0000

Water’s Healing Abilities

Date: Aug 01-2008

We have always known that water makes us feel better. Fortunes go into pools, hot tubs, and baths, and aquatic therapy has been very productive. Finally, Dr. Bruce Becker, clinical professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine in Seattle, has uncovered scientific and medical data, and done further clinical testing to document his findings. His hope is that people will learn and experience the 7 key benefits of immersion and that a depressing fall in overall health in this country can be reversed in an affordable and enjoyable way for everyone.

Basically, when we enter the water, hydrostatic pressure compresses the body and displaces up to 75% of our blood, with 2/3 going into large vessels, and 1/3 into the heart. It effectively circulates more blood with each pump, emulating what the body does during light exercise if we are submerged to our neck, without any effort at all.

Although people with hypertension experience an increase in blood pressure when entering cold or hot water, warm water seems to lower blood pressure for all individuals as arterial blood vessels relax when adjusting to increased blood circulation.

Immersion also increases endurance. Hydrostatic pressure creates a compression on the chest wall, added to the increased blood volume, making it harder to breathe; about 60% harder when immersed to the neck. This, in turn, strengthens all respiratory muscles, lowers stress and turns out better land based performance and endurance.

The viscosity of water creates a resistance through movement which exercises opposite muscle groups, and combined with increased blood flow, releasing toxins in the muscles, results in little or no muscle soreness, even when muscles are worked harder.

In short, simple immersion to the neck in warm water:

Increases blood circulation in muscles
Strengthens respiration muscles
Reduces stress hormones
Enhances efficiency of the cardiovascular system
Improves kidney function
Lowers blood pressure in most individuals
Offloads joints

With all of the benefits of water, look to the wisdom of children, who are so attracted to it that most of them will splash in any day, any weather, and wearing anything, or not! Let’s make water part of their ongoing lifestyle by giving them a positive and confident learning foundation, introducing them to water sports and activities, and sharing a general overall joy of water with them.

The post Water’s Healing Abilities first appeared on Swim 4 LIfe.

Exercise & Immunity

Academy Swim — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:01:57 +0000

Exercise & Immunity

Date: Nov 03-2009

A recent article in the journal Brain, Behavior & Immunity published some interesting findings regarding exercise and immunity, especially with all the “flu” news going around today. There were three groups of mice which were given a devastating flu virus by injection. Incubation for this virus is 3 days, before onset of symptoms. The first group was given plenty of comfort and rest. The second group was exercised 20-30 minutes per day. The third group was exercised over 2 ½ hours per day. Most of the mice from all three groups started to show symptoms by the end of the third day. Over half of the mice in the first group died. Only 12 percent of the mice in the second group died. Over 70% of the mice in the third group died, and the ones that survived showed far worse symptoms than mice in either of the other two groups.

When compared to humans, we have similar findings, with less drastic results. Immunoglobulins have been sampled in athletes before and after prolonged strenuous physical activity, and there is a severe drop in count afterwards. With more detail, T¹ cells, which fight infection and cause inflammation, are more quickly replaced by T² cells, which cause an anti-inflamatory immune response. Without T² cells, T¹ cells would harm its own host. Exercise brings on T² cells at a faster rate, and heavy exercise suppresses T¹ cells, shutting down that first line of defense. Studies show that in both mice and men, moderate exercise brings about the most effective, healthy balance of T cells in fighting infection and virus.

These finding reinforce what physiologists termed several years back as the J shaped curve, in that moderate exercise does boost the immune system and stave off both the cold and flu. So many children get that moderate exercise all Summer long, and then go back to school with little or no exercise until the following Spring. Then we stay indoors all winter long with the excuse that it is too cold, wet or windy to play outdoors. Is it no wonder that Fall and Winter are flu seasons? If you want to stay healthy, get some moderate exercise!

The post Exercise & Immunity first appeared on Swim 4 LIfe.

Water: A Vertical and Horizontal Fitness Tool

Academy Swim — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:05:52 +0000

Water: A Vertical and Horizontal Fitness Tool

Date: Apr 30-2009

(HealthNewsDigest.com)
Water is an incredible resource for fitness because it simultaneously provides buoyancy and resistance. Water exercise works for everyone, every body and every ability level. Whether or not you are flexible, conditioned or unconditioned, in or out of shape, overweight or right on target, workouts adapted to water can accommodate your needs.

I distinguish aquatic workouts by two types: vertical and horizontal.

Vertical workouts are those that are done without actually swimming; rather, they are done from a standing position in the pool and use the water’s resistance to its full advantage. I call these W.E.T.S.®, for “Water Exercise Techniques.”

Horizontal water workouts are actual swimming exercises.

This column will highlight examples of both forms of aquatic exercise.

Vertical

Many people are aware, of course, of yoga, tai chi and pilates. What most do not realize, however, is that these can all be applied to water as great methods of relaxation and exercise.

Yoga: By adapting traditional yoga poses in water, we can maximize the benefits of the pool environment and get the best workout possible. For example, the Child’s Pose is a wonderful exercise for the lower back, and very well suited for the back when adapted because you hold onto the edge of the pool to complete the pose. The Mountain Pose offers a great stretch and facilitates relaxation through breathing. When you feel comfortable with the more basic poses, you may find the Sun Salutation more challenging. This sequence of adapted poses offers a variety of stretching and strengthening moves while still maintaining the focus on breathing.

No matter which poses you prefer, your yoga workout should abide by the same rules of thumb as would any exercise regimen. Check with your doctor before starting a routine. When you exercise, always start with a warm-up session and finish with a cool-down session, even if your workout is as short as 25 or 30 minutes. As you become more physically fit, you can increase your workout intensity with the FIT principle: Frequency, Intensity and Time.

Tai Chi: Water tai chi consists of exercises that incorporate many movements and concepts from land tai chi. The most challenging aspect of water tai chi – as with land tai chi – is mental, not physical. Once the mental techniques are mastered, it will help in daily life, in such areas as concentration and stress management.

There are many types of tai chi exercises that can be performed in water, including the tai chi forward ands backward walks (stretches and strengthens ankles; strengthens legs); tai chi opening (strengthens and stretches the entire body); circle water spray right (strengthens entire body and stretches sides of torso, ankles, buttocks ad hips); roll the ball (strengthens arms, wrists and shoulders); hands like clouds (also strengthens arms, wrists and shoulders); yin yang (strengthens shoulders, forearms and wrists); full moon (stretches and strengthens shoulders and arms) and tai chi closing (stretches and strengthens entire body).

Pilates: Pilates focuses on the torso, since all movements start here and flow to the extremities. Strengthening and balancing the torso prepares the body for the rigors of daily life.

Water pilates is designed specifically for an aquatic environment to combine the benefits of land pilates and exercising in water. It includes some synchronized swimming figures and unique exercises.

Water pilates always begins with The Hundred breathing exercises to warm up the muscles and increase blood flow, and always ends with Rolling Down the Wall, which is used to cool down the muscles and cement positive postural and alignment changes that are made during practice. Pilates exercises include leg circles, ballet legs, tub turn, scissors, corkscrew, spinal twist, leg crossover, clam, mermaid/merman, leg kicks, single leg stretch and rolling down the wall.

Horizontal

Swimming is the closest thing on earth to a perfect sport. It exercises all the major muscles of the body; it’s the inexpensive, fun, social, graceful, sensual, safe, gentle way to achieve fitness—and it’s an activity you can enjoy for a lifetime.

Swimming is a tremendous aerobic exercise that helps your heart, blood vessels and lungs. If you do it regularly and vigorously enough to raise your heartbeat to 70 percent of its maximum rate for half an hour or more, your cardiovascular system, will gradually grow stronger and more efficient.

Specific benefits of swimming include:

— Building of stronger, firmer muscles. Swimming is the single best exercise for toning your arms, shoulders, waistline, hips and legs all at once.

— Increased flexibility. Swimming’s long, sinuous motions, along with the increased range of movement that your body has in the water, actually elongate your muscles while strengthening them,.

— Weight reduction. Swimming burns calories and raises metabolism.
— Aid to physical therapy. Water’s buoyancy makes swimming an excellent therapeutic exercise. It gradually and gently relaxes and rehabilitates muscles and joints that for one reason or another have atrophied or stiffened.

A sometimes overlooked aspect of swimming is that is can be quite varied and, thus, never gets monotonous. There are numerous variations of the four basic competitive strokes: crawl or freestyles, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly. During a workout, you can do each stroke while pulling (using only the arms) or kicking (just the legs), or swimming (using arms and legs). You can swim against a clock or at your own pace, and for any distance. You can try equipment such as fins, kickboards, hand paddles and pull-buoys.

A good swimming workout should include three components: a warm-up, a main set and a cool-down.

The warm-up is necessary because swimming strenuously without preparing your body beforehand can result in injury, poor performance and discomfort. The warm-up should comprise about 15 percent of your total workout time or distance, whichever is greater, but should never be less than five minutes. It can begin in the water with stretching and water exercises, and then can move to swimming – slowly, with an easy, relaxed stroke.

The main set should constitute approximately 75 percent of the workout, and is the most strenuous part. It usually involves a series of swims varying in stroke and distance, with brief intervals for rest.

The main set is followed by the cool-down, which should be about 10 percent of the total workout, or about half the distance of the warm-up. The cool-down allows your body to relax after the rigors of the main set. The cool-down should consist of several easy, relaxed laps and perhaps some post-swimming stretching exercises in the water and/or on land.

Whether you choose vertical or horizontal aquatic exercise – or both — water can truly be a magical elixir to help you become or remain fit at any age.

Dr. Jane Katz, a member of the U.S. synchronized swimming performance team at the 1964 Olympics, is a pioneer in fitness and aquatics. She holds a doctorate in gerontology and was a consultant to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. She is an educator, author of several books and a professor of health and physical education at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. More information on the exercises mentioned in this article can be found in Dr. Katz’s books, “Your Water Workout” and “Swimming for Total Fitness,” from Random House Broadway Books, and on her DVDs, “The W.E.T. Workout®” and “Swim Basics.” All can be purchased at bookstores and on Dr. Katz’s website, www.drjanekatz.com.

www.HealthNewsDigest.com

By Dr. Jane Katz
Apr 30, 2009

The post Water: A Vertical and Horizontal Fitness Tool first appeared on Swim 4 LIfe.

Swimming Aids Asthma Symptoms in Children, Study Finds

Academy Swim — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:04:32 +0000

Swimming Aids Asthma Symptoms in Children, Study Finds

Date: Sep 09-2009

ScienceDaily (Aug.27, 2009) – Research has shown that swimming aids asthma symptoms in children. The activity has been proven to be an effective non-pharmacological intervention for children and adolescents, according to a study in Respirology, published by Wiley-Blackwell.

Researchers divided children between the ages of seven to twelve into two groups. One group underwent a six-week swimming program in addition to their regular asthma treatments. All of the children in the experimental program showed significant improvement in all clinical variables including symptoms, hospitalizations, emergency room visits and school absenteeism. Other improvements included asthma severity, mouth breathing, snoring, chest deformity, self-confidence and general feelings of disadvantage.

“Unlike other sports, swimming is unlikely to provoke asthma attacks. In addition to improving asthma, swimming promotes normal physical and psychological development, such as increasing lung volume, developing good breathing techniques and improving general fitness,” said lead author, Wang Jeng-Shing from the Taipei Medical University.

He added, “Not only is swimming an excellent form of exercise for children with asthma, the health benefits reaped continued to be observed for at least a year after the completion of the swimming program.”

The post Swimming Aids Asthma Symptoms in Children, Study Finds first appeared on Swim 4 LIfe.